Buckle



`Nrrnn STATE-'s FATENT OFFICE.

LUOILE OLAS, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN. Y

BUCKLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 545,054, dated August 27, 1895. Application tiled J une 25, 1894. Serial No. 515,632. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LUCILE CLAS, of Milwaukee, in the-county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Buckles; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The main object:- of my invention is to produce a tongneless buckle for adjustably uniting the ends of the same or different straps or bands without other fastenings.

It consists, essentially, of a buckle composed of two like or similar sections each having two cross-bars, one of which is between the two cross-bars of the other section, one section being held at the sides and adapted to slide in the other section.

In the accompanying drawings, like letters designate the same parts in the several gures.

Figure 1 is a front view of one form of my improved buckle, suitable for use for armelastics, garters, dac. Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal section thereof on the line 2 2 of Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a plan view, a portion of one section being broken away. Fig. eis acrosssection on the line 4 e of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a perspective view, on an enlarged scale, of the buckle, showing another way of attaching the ends of a strap or band thereto. Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section of the buckle shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a front view of a modiiied form of the buckle especially designed for use for Suspenders, and Fig. Sis a section thereof on the line 8 8 of Fig. 7.

Referring to Figs. l to 4, inclusive, showing a form of myimproved buckle adapted to various purposes where the ends of the same or different straps or bands are to be adjustably connected without seams, rivets, or other fastenings, and the attachment of either end of the strap or band is to be adjustable, A designates one section of the buckle, which has two cross-bars a and a', connectedby side bars a, which are bent in the present instance, as shown in Fig. 4, to form guides as for the sides of the other section, which is held and adapted to slide freely therein lengthwise of the buckle.

B designatesl the other component section of the buckle, formed with cross-bars b and b', connected by side bars b2 b2, which are adapted to be loosely held and to slide in the guides d3 a3 ofsection A. The distance betweenthe cross-bars of both sections is approximately the same, and when the parts of the buckle are assembled the cross-bar a of section A is between the cross-bars b and b of section B, and the cross-bar h of section B is between the cross-bars ot and c. of section A. The inner cross-bar a of sectionA is formed or heut so as to lie in approximately the same plane with the outer opposing cross-bar b of section B, and the inner cross-bar b ofl section B is similarly formed or bent to lie approximately in the same plane with the outer opposing cross-bar a of section A. t

One method of attaching the ends of astrad or band to the buckle-as, for instance, in arm-elastics, garters, vests, dac., where both ends are to be adjustable and a double grip is essential or desirable-is shown in Fig 1, in which O designates a strap or band, one end c of which is passed from the back side of the buckle around the cross-bar a of section A, thence between said cross-bar and the crossbar b of section B, and the other end c' is passed in like manner around the cross-bar b', thence between it and the cross-bar a. The pull on the main portion of the strap or band in opposite directions tends to draw the opposing cross-bars a and b and h and a together and to grip the ends of the band tightly between them, the4 pull on the crossbar b tending not only to draw it toward the opposing bar a, against theinterposed end c of the band, but also to draw the bar h toward the bar a against the interposed end c of the band, and the pull on the cross-bar a operating in like manner in the opposite direction.

To take up or shorten the strap or band either or both ends c c are drawn, which tends to loosen the grip of the buckle thereon and allows them to slip between the opposing cross-bars.

To extend or enlarge the strap or band it is grasped on` one or both sides of the buckle,

opposite the ends c c', and drawn in the reverse direction through the buckle by pulling the side of the strap to the opposite side of the buckle, in a direction opposite that of the ordinary or normal pull or strain upon the strap or band.

Referring to Figs. 5 and 6, showingalarger and heavier buckle embodying my invention and similar to that shown in Fig. 1, and illus- 1o trating another mode of attaching the ends of the same or different straps or bands thereto, suitable forsurcingles, saddle-girths, ladies belts, ne., the end of the band D is passed from behind the buckle, around the i5 cross-bar a', thence between it and bar b,

formed into a loop d, and finally returned between said cross-bars, and the end ot' band E is in like manner lpassed from behind, around the cross-bar h', thence between it and zo cross-bar a, thence back between said crossbars, thus forminga loop e. By pulling on the loop d or c either of the bandsD or E may be taken up or shortened, and by pulling on the end d or e either or both bands may be let out or lengthened, the pulling out toward the center of the buckle of the end d or e of either band operating to slip the opposite side of the loop d or e in the same direction between the opposing cross-bars of the 3o buckle. In this way the strap or band may be readily taken up or let out whileit is subjected to strain.

Referring to Figs. 7 and 8, showing a suspender-buckle constructed according to my invention, Aand Bdesignatethe component sections. Section A is formed or provided at the sides with guides a3, as hereinbefore explai ned, to receive the sides of the other section. It is formed ina like or similar man- .;.o ner with cross-bars a and a', while section B', besides the corresponding cross-bars b and b', is formed or provided on opposite sides of and close to the cross-bar b with cross-bars b3, under or back of which the main suspender-web F is passed, as shown. The purpose ot' these additional cross-bars b3 3 is to avoid the necessity of passing the end of the web F upwardly beyond the upper cross-bar a of the other section, and to produce asharp bend in 5o the web against which the cross-bar cr may operate to prevent the web from slippingthrough the buckle.

G designates a short web or strap to which the front suspender tips g g are vdetachably or otherwise secured in any suitable manner. Its upper end is passed from behind the buckle around the inner cross-bar b in precisely the same manner as either end of band C is attached to the buckle, as shown in Fig. 1. Any

i o ordinary adjustment of the length of the sus` pender is effected by means of the short band or strap G, which may be drawn through the buckle in either direction, as hereinbefore eX- plained,although the direct pull downward v through the tips g causes the opposing crossbars a and b to firmly grip the strap G, and the cross-bars a and Z9 to grip and hold the web F.

By grasping both ends of the band G-together and pullingthem upwardly, the opposing cross-bars of the buckle are separated, and the 'web F, being thus released, may be freely pulled through the buckle in either direction and adjusted as desired. The greater the pull outwardly on either strap the tighter will the opposing cross-bars grip both ends, without, however, mutilating or injuring them.

I prefer for ordinary purposes to make the buckle of sheet metal, as shown; but I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to any specic material or mode of construction.

Various changes in the minor details of the buckle may be made within the spirit and intended scope of my invention.

I claim-` l. A double grip buckle composed of two sections each having two cross bars, one of which is located between the cross bars of the other section and hasa gripping edge or face opposed to the gripping edge or face of the outer bar of that section, one section being formed orprovided at the sides with parallel guides movable with the section of which they form part and in which the sides of the other section are held and adapted to slide, whereby the sections are held in parallel planes and the opposing cross bars are prevented fromspreading transversely to the longitudinal movement of the sections, substantially as and for the purposes described.

2. A double grip buckle composed of two sections having opposing pairs of approximatelyequi-distant cross-bars arranged in approximately the same plane and serving as stops to prevent the separation of the sections, one cross bar of each section being located between the cross bars of the other section, and one section being formed or provided at the sides with parallel guides movable with the section of which they form part and in which the sides of the otherv section are held and adapted to slide, substantially as and for the purposes described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LUCILE CLAS.

Witnesses:

FRED J. WERGIN, CHAs. L. Goss.

IOS 

